What can be better than beating the heat and having fun at the same time? That’s right, nothing! Splashing around in the pool is arguably the best part about summer. Unfortunately, time in the pool also means time with chlorine. While chlorine and salt are necessary to take care of a pool, it can also wreak havoc with hair. Blonde hair is especially susceptible when the hair shaft opens, chlorine can penetrate and leave you with green hair from chlorine. What does chlorine do to your hair, and how to get green out of hair from chlorine when the day is over? Let us dive in:

What Does Chlorine Do To Your Kids’ Hair?
Chlorine is a chemical disinfectant that makes it safe to swim in pools by breaking down and removing dirt, oil, and bacteria. While occasional exposure will not have much of an effect beyond drying out the hair for a couple of days, regular exposure can cause more lasting damage. Once it breaks down your hair’s natural oils from your scalp, chlorine will make its way into your hair and can cause chemical reactions potentially changing the color of your hair, weakening it in the process. Copper in pool water that has been oxidized by chlorine binds itself to the hair shaft, causing that nasty “chlorine green” tint. Kids hair is especially susceptible to this because of how fine it is.

Washing Chlorine Out of Your Kids’ Hair
Pool chemicals making their way into your kids’ hair is almost inevitable, but not to worry! It is just as easy to get rid of it. To remove chlorine from hair, swap out your kids shampoo with a clarifying kids shampoo. Natural ingredients such as orange flower extract, grapefruit and lemon cleanse hair and are gentle enough for chlorine damaged hair. Follow with a moisturizing conditioner to replenish and hydrate hair.

How to Prevent Chlorine from Getting in Your Kids’ Hair
There are some simple steps you can take to prevent green hair from chlorine. First, dampen hair before going into the pool. If hair is dry, it will soak up whatever moisture it can find. There is less space for chlorine filled water if hair is already saturated with fresh water. You can swap out water with a sun spray for added moisture and detangling benefits. Look for ingredients like banana leaf extract and coconut oil to protect and defend hair. Try braiding longer hair after applying sun spray to manage kids hair when they come out of the pool!

BTW, there's a whole lot more than just chlorine to worry about when caring for children's hair during the beach and pool season.  Please check out our very popular:

Mom's Buyers Guide For Kids Swim Shampoo

While it is important to remove chlorine from hair, it is also important to protect hair. A natural hair care routine tailored to the summer months is the perfect way to keep hair healthy. To naturally wash off chlorinee and salt water from your kids hair, check out the Fairy Tales Hair Care Sun & Swim line! Our Lifeguard™ Clarifying Shampoo gently cleanses with Orange flower extract, grapefruit, and lemon. Lemon-Aid™ Conditioner is loaded with rich, creamy moisturizers to deep clean and condition even the most sun damaged hair. Lastly is our CoCo Cabana™ After-Sun Spray which combines Banana leaf extract and coconut oil to protect and moisturize hair all day long. Combine all 3 products for the perfect summer time combo for kids and parents! Fairy Tales Sun & Swim is safe and effective for the whole family and this natural line of clarifying products is color safe for Moms, too!

Stay safe, be smart and be well.



Risa Barash, Founder & Owner & the entire Fairy Tales Hair Care Family